Press cuttings

A nostalgic afternoon tea dance saw a town commemorate the soldiers of the First World War.

Millom Fundraising Group organised the event to mark the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of war, and almost 100 people packed the town’s Palladium to enjoy a concert from The La’al Big Band.

The prestigious west Cumbrian ensemble played for around two hours on Sunday, encompassing dozens of war-era songs and culminating with Land of Hope and Glory.

Terry Houchin of the fundraising group said: “The band were absolutely brilliant and the event turned out very well indeed. The idea was not to raise money but to give Millom a good time, and we got plenty of compliments from people saying what a good time they were having and that it was fantastic value.

“It has made us think that we should take a look at doing it again, or something similar.”

The organisers thanked publisher CGP for sponsoring the event and Tesco and the Bear on the Square for donating items. – North West Evening Mail, Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Something big is happening in West Cumbria.

A relatively new band, an old sound and it’s causing a la’al stir!

The La’al Big Band are already well known thanks to their monthly gigs at the Seacote Hotel in St Bees.

And last week they were invited to perform at Keswick’s Theatre by the Lake.

Their fans didn’t let them down, almost selling out the 389-seat theatre.

It was a chance for the 19-piece band to show off their versatility as they performed music ranging from Quincy Jones to Norah Jones.

While much of their repertoire came from the American song book of Count Basie and Glenn Miller, we also heard Amy Winehouse’s You Know I’m No Good given the big band treatment.

Singer Deanne Shallcross added her own dash of style to the proceedings.

Joining the La’al Big Band, led by Paul Marks, was saxophone soloist Mike Smith. Compere for the night was Radio Cumbria’s Harry King.

It was an evening of relaxed brilliance which left everyone dancing along.

The La’al Big Band will next perform at Whitehaven Golf Club on Sunday, March 23, from 8pm, with soloist Mike Smith once more joining them. – Alan Cleaver, Times and Star, Friday, March 14, 2014